For NHL players, opening night is a highlight of any season, a chance to put the drudgery of training camps behind them and generate the adrenaline flow that meaningful games produce. But this year, opening night was an entirely forgettable experience for Calgary Flames defenceman Travis Hamonic. The Flames were getting crushed by Vancouver on the road, and to make matters worse, Hamonic suffered a facial fracture in a fight with Canucks’ defenceman Erik Gudbranson after coming to the defence of rookie teammate Dillon Dube, who’d been on the receiving end of a questionable hit. And while his teammates heaped praise on Hamonic for the way he stood up for a young teammate who was making his NHL debut, this was a serious injury. It forced Hamonic to miss eight games in total and he’s been wearing a facial shield for protection since his return.

Considering how difficult Hamonic’s first season with the Flames went in 2017-18 (11 points in 74 games, a minus-9 rating), this...